The pilots of a United Airlines Boeing 737 were forced to make an emergency diversion shortly after takeoff from Chicago O’Hare International Airport on Wednesday morning after they spotted what appeared to be a “fire” inside the cockpit.
Passengers onboard United flight UA1879 were hoping to fly down to San Jose del Cabo in Mexico, but after initially climbing up to 27,000 feet, the plane suddenly turned around and started back towards Chicago.
Inside the cockpit, the pilots had told air traffic control that there was a potential fire in the flight deck and had requested to return to O’Hare. After entering a short holding pattern, the aircraft landed back in Chicago where it was met by emergency services on the runway.
The pilots suspected that an electrical component may have shorted out and asked the airport fire fighters to check for any evidence of a fire outside the cockpit, according to aviation accident reporter the Aviation Herald.
Once given the all-clear, the aircraft was able to taxi back to the gate, where passengers were deplaned and the plane was taken out of service for more than 24 hours.
Thankfully, United was able to find a replacement plane to get the passengers to Mexico the same day, although it arrived with a delay of nearly five and a half hours.
Last October, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) wrapped up a headline-grabbing probe into United’s safety standards after the airline was hit by a string of embarrassing mishaps and accidents in early 2024.
The FAA concluded that there were no “significant safety issues,” after investigators inspected United’s maintenance facilities and looked at the airline’s workplace culture.
Last month, a United Boeing 737MAX was damaged during takeoff from Chicago O’Hare after the plane hit a coyote as it was speeding along the runway.
The right nose gear of the aircraft was damaged in the incident and an emergency diversion was once again needed, but there were no injuries, apart from the coyote.
